Free care for the elderly has been made an election pledge by York's Liberal Democrat election candidate.

Andrew Waller has launched a petition urging that personal care is made easily accessible.

Coun Waller said: "Nationally, we have launched a poster campaign stating that the measure of a civilised society is how we educate our young and care for our old.

"I believe strongly that this will be one of the major campaigns in the General Election."

His call is that personal and nursing care for the elderly is paid for by the state.

About 35,000 of York's residents are pensioners.

Coun Waller said national research suggested that since 1997, 100,000 elderly people in England and Wales have had to sell their homes to pay for care.

" We are the only party nationally committed to long-term personal care for all older people throughout the UK," he said.

"The Liberal Democrats in Scotland have already guaranteed that older people there will receive free personal care. It is time for us to ensure that older people in York are given the same dignity.

"It is indefensible that dementia and Alzheimer's sufferers are being forced to pay for personal care, such as help with washing and bathing, which patients in hospital receive for free."

And he hopes the petition may convince many pensioners to change the party they usually support to back his call.

He claimed a poll commissioned by Help The Aged showed that 54 per cent of floating voters said the issue would help sway their vote.

"Pensioners are telling me on the doorstep that they have worked hard all their lives to pay for their homes and put money away, but they have seen that the state ultimately takes all this off them," he said.

"To them it does not seem fair, and it will be storing up an even greater problem in future years if people are shown that in the long run you are better off not saving for the future."

Updated: 13:30 Monday, May 21, 2001